Diesel motorists in Cambridge could be hit with a £20 a day 'toxin tax' if city councillors decide to wield new powers to clamp down on high-polluting vehicles.

An ultra-low emission zone will come into force in London in April 2019, with a £24 a day fee for some drivers - and a so-called "toxin tax" of up to £20 a day is also expected to be imposed in several other cities.

City councillors want Cambridge to be one of the first to implement the Government’s new Clean Air Zones outside the capital.

But the Labour-led administration says it has no firm plans yet, insisting its participation in the clean air zone strategy is “still a blank canvas”.

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It has not ruled out the idea of charging a toxin tax – but council leader Lewis Herbert said if it decided to do so, there would have to be “consultation with residents and businesses, including to avoid unfair impacts on small traders or residents based within the central zone”.

Is diesel more dangerous than other car fuel?

Drivers were encouraged by previous governments to buy diesel-fuelled cars as they were said to be kinder to the environment and cheaper to run. But there is now growing concern about the levels of nitrogen dioxide they emit, thought to cause thousands of premature deaths in the UK.

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A recent study claimed there were 250 early deaths across Cambridgeshire each year from particulates – tiny pieces of dirt thrown into the air by vehicles, especially dirty diesel engines.

Cllr Herbert, who has written to Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom asking for Cambridge to become a Clean Air Zone, said: “The city and City Deal have a shared commitment to tackle and improve air quality in our congested city centre by discouraging the worst polluting vehicles from entering central Cambridge.

City council leader Lewis Herbert has not ruled out a toxin tax

“We both want Cambridge to gain powers from the Government to set up an effective central city Clean Air Zone, based on the zone the City Deal agreed in January, and become one of the first wave of 20 to 30 UK cities cutting damaging levels of air emissions.

"Joining the first wave will enable us to gain powers to create the right, phased scheme for Cambridge and also give us access to further national funding to help the change to low emission vehicles.

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“This scheme is still a blank canvass and no detailed plans have been considered yet.

"Any decisions including the option of a charge on targeted high polluting vehicles, would only come after detailed option appraisal and consultation with residents and businesses, including to avoid unfair impacts on small traders or residents based within the central zone.

A pollution monitoring device in Cambridge

“Clean Air Zones have already proven successful in other EU countries in reducing pollutants and health damage and this is one."